If someone would ask me about the first country that I would like to visit internationally a few years ago, I would answer Singapore because of its accessibility and the fact that I have relatives living in the place. So it was a surprising moment for me when I find myself booking a flight to Taiwan earlier this year along with five other friends, and getting excited as I count down the number of days before my first out-of-the-country trip.
Being visa-free for Filipinos for a limited time, I have decided to choose Taiwan as my remarkable first international trip to take advantage of this and the chance of having a companion who have experienced traveling outside the country. The travel’s affordable cost is another factor that made me more convinced to visit this country and make it my first international getaway.
Our trip in Taiwan consisted of five days in the cities Taipei and Taichung and in the country’s north coast towns. Our drafted itinerary was a mix of DIY and travel tours that covered the main attractions in the mentioned places.
As much as I would like to compress all of my experience in these places in one post, I’ve decided to divide my Taiwan trip into five parts to save one from tediously scrolling through this post and to concisely elaborate my experience in each of the places. This post will be mainly covering my experience before our flight and our first day in Taiwan. For the succeeding days, you can click on the links below in our sample itinerary:
Day 0: Flight & First Night in Taipei
12:00PM – Meetup at NAIA Terminal 2
5:40PM – Departure from Manila
8:00PM – Arrival in Taipei
10:00PM – Check-in at hotel
11:00PM – Visit Ningxia Night Market
12:00AM – Head back to hotel; rest and lights off
Day 1: North Coast Tour
5:30AM – Wake up and prep
7:00AM – Eat breakfast
8:45AM – Meetup for North Coast Tour at Taipei Main Station
9:00AM to 6:00PM – North Coast Tour
7:00PM – Dinner at Ximending District
9:00PM – Visit Shilin Night Market
11:00PM – Go back to hotel and rest
Day 2: Taipei City Walking Tour
7:00AM – Wake up and prep
8:00AM – Eat breakfast
10:00AM to 1:00PM- Historic Route Walking Tour
2:00PM – Eat lunch
3:00PM to 5:30PM – Golden Age Route Walking Tour
6:00PM – Eat dinner
7:00PM to 9:00PM – Modern Route Walking Tour
9:00PM – Head back to hotel and rest
Day 3: Taichung Day Tour
5:00AM – Wake up and prep
6:00AM – Eat breakfast
8:00AM – Meetup with Taichung tour driver at hotel
8:00AM to 10:00AM – Travel going to Taichung from Taipei
10:00AM – Visit at Zhongshe Flower Market
12:00PM – Lunch at Chun Shui Tang
1:00PM – Visit Rainbow Village
2:00PM – Visit Miyahara
3:00PM – Drop by at Ruyl Sunny Cake Bakery
4:00PM – Visit National Taichung Theater
5:00PM – Visit Fengchia Night Market
6:00PM – Head back to Taipei
8:00PM – Arrival at hotel and rest
Day 4: Taipei City Tour
6:00AM – Wake up and prep
7:00AM – Eat breakfast
9:00AM – Visit Bitan
12:00PM – Have lunch
2:00PM – Visit Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art
5:00PM – Hike Elephant Mountain
7:00PM – Eat dinner
8:00PM – Shop at Carrefour near hotel
Day 5: Flight to Manila
6:00AM – Travel to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport from Taipei
9:40AM – Departure from Taipei
12:05PM – Arrival in Manila
Days Before the Flight
I remember being anxious several days before our flight because this was my first time to ride a plane and go on a vacation overseas. I was thinking about the hassle I’ve caused because I needed to borrow a luggage from one of my cousins for the trip and have time to pack it with clothes good for five days which I could have spent instead doing other things. I was also worried about the things that I should say to the immigration officer in the airport and the possible scenario of my luggage being left behind when I arrive in Taiwan.
A day before our flight, we also exchanged our peso notes for US dollars since we believed that converting it from USD would be more valuable when we reach Taiwan.
Day 0: Flight, Arrival and Visit at Ningxia Market
I arrived in the airport ahead all of my companions so I was on my own for several minutes and feeling scared since I did not know what to do. I remember not wanting to enter the departure area because I was scared that entering may lead me to a place I shouldn’t be in so I just waited for my friends to arrive before going inside. When inside, we also had a slight confusion since it was all our first time in Terminal 2 and didn’t know where to check-in our bags and get our boarding passes. Eventually, we we’re able to find the counter, got our boarding passes and was on our way to get late lunch in the nearby fast food restaurant. Next, we found ourselves waiting beside our assigned gate and finally boarding the plane.
My first airplane ride experience was pleasurably a satisfying and remarkable one. The assigned aircraft to us looked new and up-to-date with its scratch-free walls and seats equipped with screens. Better than those, our flight comes with a mandatory hot meal and the assigned seat to me was a window seat giving me the chance to marvel at the beauty of the sunset and get first view of Taiwan at night from above. Honestly, two hours of travel is not enough to fully experience these things for the first time.
We landed in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport past 8PM where we had our passports stamped and where we finally exchanged our US bank notes for Taiwan dollars. This was also where we picked up our rental pocket Wi-Fi and purchased our Tapei EasyCard which functions similarly to Manila’s Beep Card and which we will be using for our train trips during our stay. After that, we found ourselves using these EasyCards for the first time and getting inside the Airport MRT which have taken us to the city proper.
Travel time going to city from the airport can take up to an hour so I took advantage of it by getting used with the Chinese writings around me and pacifying my culture shock. I also found myself amused with the MRT’s modernness and the overhead screen on the doors which flashes the current and next train stations in both Chinese and English.
When we reached our destination (I think it was Taipei Main Station but I’m not sure), we needed to transfer from the airport line to green to ride another train that will be taking us to the train station near our booked hotel. Mini hunting adventure began when we find ourselves getting lost and couldn’t find the train station. After several attempts, we found the station where we rode the train going to Zhongshan where a slight confusion happened (again) after getting off since we went opposite of the direction of our destination. After a reverse in direction and minutes of walking while trailing our luggage behind our backs, we finally reached our hotel where we immediately checked-in and rested for a while before heading out again to the nearby Ningxia Night Market.
A famous night market named after the street where it stands, Ningxia is known for its affordable street grubs ranging from pork noodles, fried taro balls to pepper sesame mochis with prices ranging from TWD20 to TWD120.
I remember memorizing the mentioned foods back in Manila so I can buy them when I got there, only to find out that the noodles were sold out and I was not in the mood to eat taro balls and mochis (I regretted this decision after being back home). Eventually, I ended up buying takoyaki and a cup of calamansi juice to satisfy my starving stomach while watching the place around me.
As early from this moment, I understood why one of my friends who visited Taiwan before described the country clean. Contrary to the idea that Ningxia is a food night market, it was remarkably clean and pieces of trash lying on the floor will not be seen. Even the the food stand vendors looked presentable and free of sweat despite the hot temperature during our visit. Truly, a very different scenario from what I’ve grown used to back in Manila and another thing which made me admire Taiwan more. Little did I know that I would be further amazed with what this country has to offer in our next five days in the place.
Day 1: North Coast Tour and Ximending District
Our first day in Taiwan started with a calm Thursday morning that has been immediately been replaced by an unexpected instant workout when we find ourselves running in the underground halls of Taipei City Mall.
Scheduled for an 8:45AM tour meetup at Taipei Main Station, we jogged and ran to reach our destination when we realized that we’re going to be late and how massive and confusing Taipei Main Station was. Eventually, after a handful of sweat and asking for locals’ help, we still made it to the tour 15 minutes behind the agreed time.
Our booked North Coast Tour included paid visits to the well-known tourist spots found in North Taiwan namely in the districts of Wanli, Shifen and Jiufen. First stop on the list was Yehliu Geopark in Wanli District which is known for its mushroom-shaped marine rock formations with a backdrop of the nearby East China Sea. Popular spot in the place is the Queen’s Head which –as its name implies– resembled a woman’s head with a crown.
Honestly, I wasn’t that amused when we visited Yehliu Geopark because of the surge of tourists that were present during the time. We did not even proceed to see the Queen’s Head after we saw the famous mushroom formations because we found the sea of tourists draining and probably due to our declining energy after our ‘workout’. Instead we stayed in the shaded part of park and tried to regain our energies before heading back to the tour bus for our next destination.
Next stop on the list was the popular Shifen Station which is known for its sky lanterns and IG-worthy railway tracks. Originally built as coal transport hub for the mining district of Shifen, this train station gained popularity for the flying of sky lanterns which is said to grant wishes if you write them down on the lantern’s panel and the food and souvenir stores found along the train tracks.
Personally, I enjoyed our visit more in Shifen Station than in Yehliu despite the heat and crowd of tourists. Unlike in the latter which was designed to suit tourists’ needs, Shifen has that unpretentious vibe which lets visitors get a glimpse of what Taiwan is really like. From the street foods, crowded alleys and inevitable shaking brought by the passing train, everything in Shifen felt authentic for me. Hence, we ended up trying some of the street foods and eventually buying some souvenirs. Only downside of the place for me was the tourist-y flying of sky lantern which I think could have been better if removed considering its effects to the surrounding area’s environment.
Another popular tourist spot in Shifen District is Taiwan’s Little Niagara Falls, Shifen Waterfalls. Located 3 minutes away from Shifen Station via vehicle, this well-known attraction requires more or less a 20-minute trek to reach the viewing deck of the falls. Similar to Yehliu, the place is well-established and commercialized with food stands and souvenir stores available in the area.
There’s something soothing about the sight of waterfalls and Shifen’s was not an exception. I could spend half a day watching and exploring the area’s vicinity but since we only have 10 minutes left of our allotted time, we trekked our way back to our bus after a few pictures and some rest.
If there’s one place that I was really keen to see in person in our North Coast Tour, it would be Jiufen Old Street. Having seen Studio Ghibli’s Sprited Away, I was really looking forward to visit this place to see the supposed-inspiration of the movie’s setting and experience it in real life.
Requiring leg workout with its 400-step stairs, Jiufen looks like a real-life Spirited Away location especially in its middle part where the famous A-Mei Tea House is located. Above and below, the place is also dotted with various food stores selling Taiwanese dishes and delicacies and, of course, stores selling Spirited Away souvenirs. Upon reaching the top, one will also get the chance to see an overlooking view of the village below and the nearby sea and mountains.
It was also in Jiufen where we had our first sip of Taiwanese bubble tea which I personally loved because of its distinct milky taste compared to the ones I’ve tasted in Manila. I really loved the bubble tea in this place that I did not notice that the large cup that I ordered–which I rarely do–was already empty.
After tracing our way back to our tour bus and two hours of travel going back to Taipei, we found ourselves back again in Taipei Main Station where we took a train going to Ximending to visit the well-known commercial district.
Upon exiting the MRT station, one will be welcomed by large flashing LED screens and logos of well-known fashion brands found on the walls of the establishments in the place. Add up the buzzing scene of locals walking in all directions and street performers and you get a scenery similar to Tokyo’s Shibuya and New York’s Times Square.
Honestly, I felt overwhelmed and slightly intimidated when I saw Ximending’s busy scene. I felt that we were going to be lost and navigating our way through its streets would be challenging. It was actually here where one of our friends got lost when we were looking for food to eat for dinner. Fortunately, we were able to immediately find him soon after we realized he’s missing.
We grabbed dinner in one of the food stalls in the area that sells omelletes because it’s one of the places we’ve seen that locals lined up. I’ve order their bestseller Surf and Turf which include slices of ham and pieces of leafy vegetables as fillings. I tried my best to search for the name of this stand since the whole place is written in Chinese characters but to no avail cannot find its English name. If you can understand its packaging below, let me know in the comments below.
After getting our meals and ensuring that all of us were able to grab dinner, we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel to get some rest for our walking tour in the city the following day.
Tips from a First Timer
- If you’re going to arrive in Taiwan beyond the Airport MRT’s operation hours, 24-hour buses bound for the city are available outside the airport.
- Download a Taiwan MRT map. It would be very reliable if you plan on traveling in trains.
- Visit Ningxia Market as early as its opening time to get dibs in the array of foods it offers and to avoid running out of dishes.
- If you have a scheduled meetup at Taipei Main Station, be there early so you can have ample time to navigate your way going to your destination because the place overwhelmingly big.
- Bringing foods inside the train station is strictly prohibited as experienced by yours truly.
- Not all personnel in train stations are capable of speaking English so prepare yourself with some effective hand language.
Any thoughts?